NEW YORK - When Mr Ron Dailey goes out to eat, he is shocked by prices on the menu.

“Breakfast is US$20 (S$25.84) no matter how you slice it,” said Mr Dailey, 63, who voted for US President Donald Trump in November 2024.

Mr Dailey, a Denver-area resident who works for a human resources outsourcing solutions firm, thinks “the back-and-forthing of the tariffs” sowed market uncertainty, pushing up some costs.

But he has seen other prices fall – he recently paid just IS$1.74 a gallon for gas.

Overall, he rates Mr Trump an 8 out of 10 on his handling of the cost of living.

“There’s nothing the president has a magic wand on,” said Mr Dailey, who believes the president’s tariffs and deregulatory agenda will eventually lower most everyday costs.

Affordability is front and centre in voters’ minds as both parties gear up for 2026’s congressional midterm elections, with Republicans particularly concerned that continuing high prices could hurt their chances to retain control of Congress.

After campaigning in 2024 on promises to tame inflation, Mr Trump has in recent weeks alternated between dismissing affordability problems as a hoax,